I don't believe Brian harmed her, he adores her: Ana's mother tells Telegraf how she heard about disappearance

Milanka Ljubicic, the mother of Belgrade native Ana Walshe, who has been missing since January 1 in the US, spoke for Telegraf.rs a day after her son-in-law Brian was detained, to say that she does not believe he harmed her daughter, and points out that he adored her.

Milanka says that she was very shaken by yesterday's news, but that despite everything, she has a strong hope that everything will be resolved positively in the next two or three days. The fact that the police found traces of blood and a bloody knife in the basement of her daughter's house, she does not at all attribute to the son-in-law, but says those could be some things left over from before, because the house they live in is rented.

Milanka says that she did not manage to hear from Ana to wish a New Year to one another, and that instead, she learned from her older daughter Aleksandra, who lives in Canada, that the woman had disappeared.

"How could I react? I can only worry. But I can't believe the newspapers 100 percent," Milanka told Telegraf.rs when asked how she reacted to the news that her son-in-law Brian was detained.

Reacting to the fact traces of blood and a bloody knife were found, she says that does not necessarily mean anything.

"It's a rented house. It's possible that these are some things left over from before. All that doesn't have to mean anything. We'll see. I don't believe that he harmed her," Milanka says resolutely, and adds:

"As far as I know the man, he adored her. She gave him three children. I don't believe he could do anything bad. The police procedure is, as you know, to question immediate family members."

Milanka stayed with Ana twice for six months and once for four months.

"I never noticed any disagreements between them. They are always in that mood. They talk, laugh, are loud, by nature. I didn't notice anything bad, nor did Ana ever complain to me. Secondly, the son-in-law is absolutely not aggressive. He is very peaceful, he adores Ana. And that's why this whole story shook me terribly," Milanka tells Telegraf.rs and confirms Ana's words from a letter she sent to the court, when he was arrested last year, that Brian once saved her life:

"The last time I was there I stayed for 4 months and that was because I had health problems. My son-in-law heard me from upstairs, I was on the ground floor, and called my daughter from another part of the house. I had a brain hemorrhage. He saved my life."

Wedding after a long relationship with one breakup

She tells us that Ana and Brian got married in 2015 after dating for several years. They had one break in the relationship, which was renewed after two years when Brian called again.

"My Ana from the beginning of her studies, and she graduated Philology - French, English and Spanish, she was an exchange student for several months. She worked a little there and did very well. Wherever she appears, she is extremely appreciated, respected, everyone loves her, she is positive, she wants to help.

She met Brian there. There was a break in the relationship, then he called later after two years. They were in a relationship for several years and got married in 2015. He used to come here. He loves Serbia, he loves our food, a completely normal man," Milanka told us.

Ana and Brian's boys are 2, 4 and 6 years old. A friend of Ana's has said that they are now in care of child protection services. Milanka doesn't know about that, she thinks they are with Brian's mother, Ana's mother-in-law.

"That's what I'm guessing..."

She last heard from Ana on December 25 when she wrote to her to come visit the next day.

"I'm very sorry that I didn't go when she called me. On December 25, she sent me a message, 'Mom, can you come tomorrow'. They (the daughters) had just left, so to speak. Both my daughters visited me in November, they came on their own on the 27th. Ana left on December 7, and Aleksandra on December 16. Aleksandra is in Canada. Overseas countries, quite far away. For me at this age it is far away. I was thinking about visiting Ana after the New Year's, since she has three children, to help out a little."

She learned about the disappearance from older daughter

"Then when she wrote to me, I got busy changing the bedclothes, washing, tidying up. I didn't expect that she would ask me that. I answered that I don't know if I can do it tomorrow, but that I will try the day after tomorrow, but that it would be best for me to come after January 1, so that I can prepare. Then she told me, 'Mom, you don't have to in January, let's see about February'. After that, we didn't communicate, neither by text, nor Viber," recalls Milanka:

"She tried to reach me on New Year's at exactly 12 o'clock, and she also called me at 1 am. I just raised my head, I was in a deep sleep, saw what time it was and told myself I'll call the children tomorrow, January 1. That's what I did. Ana did not answer. Then I called the next day, she didn't answer, and since I know she's really overloaded with work, that she works all day, it's not new to me that we don't hear from each other every day. I told myself, she's call. On January 1 I called around 7, 8 o'clock our time. They were probably sleeping. But when they get up, they see the messages, they always answer. However, there were no messages. I didn't call my son-in-law. I don't speak much English, so I can't communicate with my son-in-law. My daughter and son-in-law communicate. They heard from him, but he didn't know anything in particular, so he couldn't say."

She found out about Ana's disappearance from her older daughter.

"She told me, 'Mom, I don't know if I can tell you, but Ana is missing'. I said to her, 'What are you saying?' Missing. Since then I've had no peace. I am waiting for some news. I live alone, my husband died four years ago, and both daughters are abroad. You can imagine what it's like being completely alone in this, and in poor health. I was thinking of going (to the US), but my older daughter also tells me that while the investigation is ongoing, it is not convenient to travel. I think so too, and I would certainly stay a little longer because I also have a visa," says Ana's mother, who is not losing hope that everything will be resolved well:

"I keep hoping that this will be resolved positively in the next two or three days. I have this hope, to tell you honestly."

The latest information is that US detectives searching a local trash station have found evidence related to Ana's disappearance.

The footage released by local media shows investigators in protective suits and officers with sniffer dogs searching the landfill.

#BREAKING: Police are searching this trash station for missing mother #AnaWalshe.Also just in— husband Brian Walshe allegedly searched online for how to dismember & "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body,” sources tell @CNN.(h/t: @EmilyMaherTV)pic.twitter.com/XrFIzMxgZv— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) January 10, 2023

The police announced on Sunday night that Ana's husband, Brian, was arrested for misleading the police during the investigation.

During yesterday's hearing, the court announced that a damaged bloody knife was found in the basement of the house. Brian Walshe was arrested and charged with misleading police officers during the investigation. Walshe's bail has been set at half a million dollars. He has pleaded not guilty.

(Telegraf.rs)